Contact-shoe



W. B. SULLIVAN.

CONTACT SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 25. 1919.

Patented July 19, 1921.

WELLINGTON 1B. S ILLTVAN, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CONTACT-SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July is, 1921.

Application filed October 25, 1919. Serial No. 333,391.

other moving objects and more particularly to a current collector of that type embodying a shoe which slidably engages an electrically charged rail or similar conductor.

' The invention has for its object to provide the contact shoe with a novel and improved support, by which the shoe is held so that it readily adapts itself to irregularities in the conductor rail,.the shoe being securely held in contact with the railbut at the same time being free to yield in various directions to follow the rail.

The object stated is attained by means of a combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described in detail, and while showing its application;

the preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

In order that the invention may be better understood, r'eferenceis had to the accom--' panying drawing forming a part of this specification, and 1n said drawlngg; Figure 1 is an elevation of the invent on Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation ofthe invention, partly in section; V Fig. 3 is a front elevation, and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 5 denotes a conductor rail carried by a suitable support Gin a conduit 7. Aslot 8 leads from the surface of the ground down into the conduit, and the currentcollecting device enters-the conduit through this slot. A- fragment of the appliance to which the current taken from the electrically charged rail 5 is to be transmitted, is shown at 9. The invention is shown in connection with an under-ground conductor rail, but it will be understood that it is not limited thereto, but may, with equal facility, be used with conductors in different locations.

The current collecting shoe is a flat plate heads being at the 10 engaging the underside ,or base of the rail 5. This plate seats on'a pair of laterally spaced horizontal bracket arms 11..

The bracket arms 11 are supported by a palr of laterally spaced and vertically positioned rods or bars 12 supported in guides 13 carried by a vertical bar 14 depending from the appliance 9. The rods 12 are free to slide in the guides 13 and at their. upper ends, they are connected by a cross bar 15.

Above the cross bar 15, the supporting bar 14 has vertically spaced guides 16 in which is slidably mounted a verticallypositioned rod 17 connected at its lower endto the cross bar 15 intermediate the ends of.

the latter.

Around the rod 17 is coiled a spring 18 which seats at itslowerend on the bottom guide 16, and bearsat its'upper endagainst an abutment 19. This spring tends to urge the rod 17 upwardly and the shoe 10 is therefore yieldingly held in contact with the bottom of-the rail 5. The abutment 19 may be a washer which is held in place on the rod 17 by a cross pin 20, the rod having a series of holes 21 for the ,pin so that the washer may be adjusted up or down on the rod to vary the tension of thespring 18.

On the bottom of the shoe 10 are transverse slots 22 in which the bracket arms 11 seat, and in the top ofthe latter are depress ons to seat" the semi-spherical heads 23 of screws 24 threaded through the shoe, the

bottom to seat in the depressions. It will be noted that the bracket arms 11 are spaced slightly at the top from the bottom of the shoe, this being for the v purposeof permittlng the latter to rock and follow irregularities in the rail The rocking movement is laterally or about an axis coinciding with a line drawn parallel to the rail 5 and intersecting the centers of theheads23. M l

Eachbracket arm 11 is integral withand extends laterally from a clamping member 25, with which latter is associated a complementary clamping member '26: "These twolmembers are mounted on the rod '12, to which latter they are clamped by bolts 27 with sleeves 28 of insulating material in the portions of the members encircling the rod. A flexible conductor 29 is connected to the shoe 10 for transmitting the electric current to the apparatus on the appliance 9.

The shoe 10, in addition to its yielding contact with the rail 5, and its freedom to tilt laterally, is also free to tilt in the direction of the length of the rail; The last described action-results from the mounting of the rods 12. These rods are vertically slidable and they are pivotally connected to the ends of the cross bar 15, as shownfat 30, whereasthe rod 17 is pivotally connected to said cross bar, as shown at 31. These pivot joints are sufliciently loose to permit ,a slightup anddown play of the rods 12 inopposite directions, the cross bar 15 rocking on the'pivot 31.

I -cla1m: 7 A current-collector comprising a contact shoe, and a support for the shoe, in-

eluding bracket armsiextending beneath the shoe, the bottom" of thegshoe having semi- 2. A current collector comprising acontact shoe, and asupportdior the-shoe, in-

cluding bracket arms extending beneath the sho.e,-the bottom of the latter being recessed .1' &I1C6S seat, the oppositesurfaces of'the shoe 7 to seat the bracket arms, and said recessed portion of the shoe having semi-spherical protuberances and the top of the-bracket arms having recesses in which the protuben @andtthe bracket arms'bei'ng spaced.

3. A current collector comprising a con tact shoe, bracket armssupporting the shoe,

"slidablewmember loosely slidablel supports for the bracket; arms, a

cross-connection between the supports, said.

connection ,being loose to permit the sup ports to slidei-n opposite directiona and a connected to the cross-connection.

tel-slide in opposite directions, a slidable .omemberlloosely connected to the cross connection, and a spring. associated with said member-foryieldingly urging the sameinone direction.

. v5. A current-collector comprising a 0011-" tact shoe, bracket arms extending-'beneathi theshoe the bottom ofthe shoe having semispherical protuberances, and the top of the; bracket arms having, recesses in which :theprotuberances (seat, and the opposite, sure faces of the shoe and the bracket arms being "1 Witnesses:

spaced, slidable supports for the bracket arms, a cross-connection between the supports, said connectionbeing loose to permit the supports to slide in opposite directions, and a slidable member loosely connected to the cross'connection; l

6. A current collector comprising a contact shoe, bracket arms extending beneath the shoe, the bottom of the shoe having semispherical protuberances, and the top' of the bracket-arms having recesses in which the protuberances seat, and the opposite surfaces of the shoe andthe bracketarms being spaced, slidable supports for the bracket arms, a cross-connection between the supports, said connectionbeing loose 'topermit the supports to slide in opposite directions,

a slidablemember loosely connected 1 to i the cross-connection, and a spring associated 'Wlllll the said member for yleldingly urging the same in one 'CllI'GCtlOIl.

7. A current collectorlcomprismg a con- .tact shoe adapted to run on a current conductor, and meansfor supporting the shoe to normally permit the same to. tilt laterally and in'the direction of the lengthof the current conductor. r 1 8.'A current collector=comprising a con- .tactshoe adapted to 'run on a current conductor, means for supporting the shoe tonormally permit the. l same :to tilt laterally and in the direction of the length of;the

current conductor,- -and a slidable support "fOIYSEtld means.

19. A current collector comprising a -contact shoe adapted to" runfon a current con ductor,. bracket arms supporting the. shoe, slidable supports for the bracket arms. from which the latter are insulated, a loose cross connection betweenthe supports, and a slid- '4. A currenteollector comprising a 'con- :tactshoe, bracket arms supporting the'shoe,

"sli'dable supports-for the bracket arms, a V cross-connection between the supports, said connection being-looseto permit the supports slidable supports for the bracket arms to g which the latter are detachably connected,

a loose cross .aconnectionbetween the. supports, and a slidable member-connected tothe cross connection. r V.

V In testimonywhereof .I?l,filX '-my signature. in the. presence of two witnesses.

WE INGTON B. SULLIVAN; V p

' E;'WAIIION.BREWINGTON,- JULIA BRADLEY." is 

